Social Studies (Grades 5–12) Subtest 2
Subarea
I.1. Geography
0013
Understand geographic terms, concepts, sources, and research skills.
- applying the five fundamental geographic themes of location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region
- demonstrating knowledge of the six essential elements of geography (i.e., the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of geography)
- applying basic geographic terms and concepts (e.g., habitat, ecology, interdependence, assimilation, complementarity, cultural convergence)
- recognizing characteristics of maps and globes, identifying the advantages of standard map projections, and demonstrating knowledge of how to create various representations of Earth; how to determine distance, scale, area, and density on maps; and how to distinguish among spatial distribution patterns
- demonstrating knowledge of standard geographic sources, tools, and technologies (e.g., atlases, almanacs, gazetteers, encyclopedias, geographic information systems, global positioning systems, electronic databases) and using them to extract and present geographic information
- interpreting, synthesizing, and using geographic information from a variety of maps and other visual formats (e.g., charts, tables, population pyramids, satellite images)
0014
Understand physical features, physical systems, and the interaction between the environment and human societies.
- identifying and locating major landmasses, significant landforms, and important bodies of water in Minnesota, the United States, and other parts of the world on maps of different types and scales
- recognizing various types of physical features such as floodplains, plateaus, escarpments, gulfs, deltas, capes, isthmuses, peninsulas, and archipelagos
- identifying national boundaries and analyzing the historical and geopolitical factors that have influenced them
- recognizing the principal elements of climate, global and regional climate patterns, and the processes that influence weather
- examining the ways in which internal and external processes (e.g., tectonic movement, volcanism, glaciation, erosion, deposition) create and modify the physical features of Earth
- recognizing the location, distribution, and uses of natural resources in Minnesota, the United States, and other parts of the world and analyzing the influence of natural resources on human populations
- demonstrating knowledge of the effects of physical factors such as climate, topography, ecology, and location on population distribution, patterns of work, industry, agriculture, and transportation
- analyzing how human activity alters the environment and how environmental factors influence human societies
- examining the causes, social consequences, and economic effects of environmental change and crisis (e.g., global warming, tropical deforestation, decline of fish stocks, desertification, acid rain, waste disposal, the reduced quality and availability of freshwater)
- demonstrating knowledge of how geographic factors have influenced historical events and developments
0015
Understand human systems.
- demonstrating knowledge of the characteristics of major cultural groups associated with particular world regions (e.g., language, belief systems, traditions, livelihoods, the arts and literature) and analyzing how people create places that reflect human needs, historical experience, cultural attitudes, government policies, and current values and ideals
- examining processes that influence the establishment of human settlements and the location of cities and demonstrating knowledge of how the organization, structure, and functions of human settlements have changed over time
- demonstrating knowledge of the regional distribution of human populations and analyzing the causes and results of human migrations
- comparing the ways in which human societies and cultures address human needs and concerns, and recognizing how data and experiences may be interpreted differently by people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference
- examining how governmental and economic systems shape human societies and analyzing patterns of political and economic interaction among world regions
- demonstrating knowledge of the interdependence of science, technology, and society and the interrelationship between science and technology and human values, beliefs, and attitudes
- identifying factors influencing cooperation and conflict between human groups (e.g., historical relationships, economic imperatives, environmental opportunities and challenges, ethnic and religious divisions) and examining patterns of behavior reflecting values and attitudes that contribute or pose obstacles to cross-cultural understanding
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